Shadow Borne

by Angie West

  “I never wanted to hurt you.” I said, staring up at him. In the next instant, he'd snatched me against him. The leather covered elastic band was pulled from my hair until the black locks tumbled free down my back. His hand palmed the back of my head and his lips rubbed over mine.

  “I know that. All of it.” he said when he finally lifted his mouth from mine. “I knew it then, that you didn't mean any of the stuff you said earlier.” He took a deep breath and pressed his cheek against my hair. “I was never angry with you. I was mad at myself for being so weak. I could have blown the whole thing and got us killed today, Ari. I'm so sorry.”

  His arms tightened and I reached up to stroke his hair. “But you didn't.” It was all I could think to say.

  “I know that you can handle yourself, Ari. But if I lost you...” he shook his head and let me go. “I can't even say it. I can't–”

  I threw myself at him, locking my arms around his neck and holding tight. “Then don't.” I whispered, pressing my lips to his neck, tasting the salt of skin and feeling the shiver go through his tall frame.

  “I love you so much, Ari. Since we were kids. It's always been you, for me.” he said, pulling back and smiling down at me. His thumb smoothed over my brow.

  “And it's always been you.” I murmured back. “You've always been there for me, ready to catch me, ready to avenge me.” I shook my head, my lips curving against his chest as I let myself rest there for a moment. His chin pressed against the top of my head and he wrapped both arms around me.

  “It's going to be you and me. Forever.”

  “I like the sound of that.” I grinned without opening my eyes and we stayed just like that for long, precious minutes.

  “So,” he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “Where are you headed?”

  “Anywhere you want to go.” I shrugged.

  “Plans for tonight?” he asked as we started walking together toward my cabin.

  “I was going to grab some clothes from the cabin and head to the big house to get drunk with Claire.”

  His hard face broke into a smile and he shook his head. “I think we can do better than that.”

  “Yeah? Well, what did you have in mind?”

  “Bathing in the hot springs near the beach. Sleeping under the stars.” he said, his serious, dusky eyes telling me there wouldn't be much actual sleeping happening tonight.

  “You're on. It's a date. I'll–what the hell?” I came to an abrupt halt as we entered the clearing. Beside me, Aranu cursed.

  “My cabin...what happened to my cabin?” I demanded, staring at the pile of rubble on the other side of the plain wood fence.

  “Well,” Aranu stroked a hand over his chin and studied the broken mess. “If I had to venture a guess, I'd go with 'bomb'.”

  “They blew up my cabin. The damn Coatyl blew up my house.” I uttered in disbelief. “Look at it, Aranu. It's completely ruined! Damn it!”

  We crossed the fence and walked a slow circle around the wreckage. Glass crunched under our feet and slowly my blood began to cool.

  “It's not that big a deal.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I was just shocked.”

  “We'll build a new one.” he promised.

  “We will?” I glanced at Aranu and smiled. He caught my stare and smiled back.

  “If you want to.”

  “Oh, I do.”

  He grinned and swung me around in a circle, kissing me and I couldn't help thinking how appropriate it was, to love one another, surrounded by bright moonlight and the broken pieces that would soon become new. He set me on my feet and a glimmer of white, near the top of the rubble, caught my eye.

  “Hey, what's that?”

  “I don't know.” He picked his way over the splintered wood and glass and plucked a piece of paper off the pile. “It's a note.” he said, climbing down and handing it to me.

  I took it and scanned it, then smothered a giggle.

  “Well, what's it say?”

  “Here.” I handed the paper back. “It's from the security company. I forgot I told them to come out and install a new system.” I gave up and began to laugh. “The day I met you in town. I had the dead Coatyl in that sack when I went to see about the security system. I take it they weren't amused when they came out.”

  On the paper, two words had been hand lettered in bold print. 'I QUIT'

  Aranu read the note and his eyes flashed to mine. The paper fluttered to the ground as he threw his head back and laughed.

  And seeing him like that, with me, felt like the sun coming out in the middle of the darkest night. Full circle.

  The End

  Thanks for reading <3

  For the latest updates and project information, or to drop in and say hi, catch up with me at my website. http://awest2011.wix.com

  Turn the page to see more from Angie West.

  Go back to where the legend began with Shadow Cave, book one of the Shadows Trilogy.

  "A flame to light the path. Gateway to all things past. A door from which there is no going back. Born in truth; forged in lies. Never betray the secret...forever shielded from human eyes."

  Chapter 1

  Access Denied

  “Access denied.” Damn, and all of those other phrases that a ‘lady’ was not supposed to say in polite company. Not that I was in polite company, or any company for that matter. Shielding my eyes from the rain that was pouring down in heavy gray sheets, I scanned the mostly deserted parking lot. Not a soul in sight. Damn. Damn. Shit. Hey, nobody ever said I couldn’t ‘think’ cuss words. Right then, I was thinking every foul, vulgar phrase I had ever known.

  “Hey wait!” Thank God—a live person...one of the desk clerks, maybe. I could see him through the frosted glass of the wide double doors, pretending he didn’t notice me. I tried again anyways, for good measure.

  “Hey, open the door! You don’t understand! I work here. My name is Claire Roberts, and I’m a scientist!” If anything, the man tried even harder to ignore my presence...not that I blamed him exactly. To him I was just a screaming nut job. Brushing my hair might have helped. Not that I hadn’t, but the wind and the rain had...well, never mind. Not important. The point was the man was definitely not going to let me in the building. He didn’t even glance my way again. Man, was he good. Normally, the tight security would have been reassuring—had I been warm and dry on the other side of that door.

  I pulled my coat tighter around my body and tried not to shiver. I could try calling John again, I supposed. Checking the time again I shook my head in disgust, dropping the cell phone back into my bag. It was too late. The meeting would be well underway by now. Besides, I had already left the man two messages over the past…I peeked at my watch again…twenty-five minutes. ‘I’m stuck outside the building John. I forgot my badge key, John. Why the hell am I here this early anyways, John?’

  Why the hell indeed, I mused as I got back into my car. It was disconcerting enough that I was ‘summoned’ to this meeting at five in the morning—even more so that the ‘summons’ had come in the form of a tense midnight phone call just a few short hours ago. I hadn’t slept or even had coffee yet. It was no wonder I had left my ‘official’ badge key at home. And it was just like him to not answer his phone, too. John was the arrogant, pompous type all the way. He probably couldn’t believe that any of ‘his’ staff would dare to not come running when he called. Although, I had to admit, calling me his ‘staff’ was pushing it. Thank God. I was more at home in the field than I would probably ever be in the office...which was a great cause of concern for most of the people around me.

  I shook my head and vigorously rubbed my hands together, frowning as I tried to warm them. I wasn’t anti-social—far from it. I had lots of friends, and a lot of my time was spent, if not in an office, in a laboratory at least. But sometimes a person just needed…peace. Quiet and solace.

  A sharp crack on the window next to me had me pivoting in my seat. I’m getting way too jumpy these days, I thought, disgruntled. I pee
red through the thick glass and sighed in relief. It was just one of John’s cronies. I’d seen him around before but didn’t know what to call him. ‘Jackass in a suit’ came to mind, but I was pretty sure that he wouldn’t appreciate the sentiment. I smiled sweetly as he glared at me, feeling grateful and maybe a bit smug that thoughts were private.

  “Mr. Hanlen sent me to get you.”

  “Great, you almost missed me.” Literally, I would have been home free and quite possibly in a hot tub in another few minutes. Warm with coffee and maybe even scented candles. I sighed. “Well, let’s get this over with,” I muttered, more to myself than my soggy companion.

  He sniffed but said nothing as we made our way into the building and down several winding halls that connected to a large dome shaped conference room. I was having visions of Star Trek as he paused at the door to slide his badge through yet another scanner.

  “I don’t believe I caught your name. “

  “Mr. Arlenn.”

  “Do you have a first name, Mr. Arlenn?”

  “Richard.” He swung the heavy steel door open and swiftly ushered me into the room.

  I barely stopped a laugh from escaping. ‘Dick in a suit.’ Hey, I was close. The laughter died as I looked around the room. Wow. What was worse than a dick in a suit? How about an entire room full of them? From the looks of it, that was exactly what I had just walked into. I was sixteen all over again for a moment, asking my older sister Megan what a ‘sausage fest’ was (a super classy phrase that I’d heard some of my classmates use). I remembered how she had jerked her thumb towards a table of rambunctious teenage boys across the diner and replied, “That’s a sausage fest.”

  “Claire?”

  “Oh…yes, sorry. What?” I blinked at John, feeling a little guilty. I wasn’t normally so waspish. And maybe he didn’t really deserve it…much.

  He frowned with what looked like concern, but I knew better; more likely, it was annoyance. I was almost an hour late, Richard was damp, I was soaking and dripping onto the floor, and his meeting was being held up.

  “John. What a pleasure.”

  “Yes…would you like some coffee, or perhaps a towel?”

  “Yes to both, thanks,” I mumbled, starting to feel a twinge of embarrassment. All eyes were on me, and I was sure I looked a mess. Worse yet, the mascara I had chosen was not of the waterproof variety, which wasn’t the smartest choice in the rain, I guessed. But who knew I would be standing in it for the better part of half an hour? And besides, I hated waterproof mascara. Why didn’t I just wear a duct tape bra while I was at it? Or—

  “Thank you.” I graciously accepted the towel from another unnamed crony and took a seat near the door.

  “Sorry for the interruption,” I tried.

  “Not to worry. Not to worry—”

  “What is this about?” Did I mention John was married to my sister Megan? ‘Was’ being the operative word. He divorced her five years ago for greener pastures. That’s a more polite way of saying ‘bimbo in a tight sweater.’ They—Megan and John—never had any children, and Megan had moved on a long time ago. But I still had a strict rule to call him by his first name at all times. I wanted to take a bat to his Mercedes, but Megan—

  “Not sure, but—”

  “Sorry. What did you say?”

  Johns green eyes narrowed in irritation. “Please try and stay with us.” He sniffed.

  “Absolutely. I’m all yours. Now what's so important that I had to come here?”

  “Now Claire, you’re a respected scientist,” he began to protest, all charm and grace. Too bad it was all fake.

  I waved my hand and shook my head, attempting to cut through his B.S. “Right. I’m a botanist, John.”

  He cleared his throat. “A good one.”

  I raised one eyebrow and set the towel aside, saying nothing.

  “It’s about your brother,” he began gently.

  “I haven’t seen him,” I said quickly, jumping forward in my seat. Probably not a good idea...I was giving too much away. So much for my poker face; that was definitely not good. Although it wasn’t a lie—I hadn’t seen him, not in five months, anyways. The last time had been a cool night, and I had been sworn to secrecy.

  Oh Mike, I thought, of all people to swear to secrecy—why me? Not that he had told me much of anything...not anything that made sense, at least. But of all people…I shook my head. Everyone knew that if you needed a cover, you didn’t use Claire. Rule number one. I may be good at a lot of things, but lying wasn’t one of them.

  I forced myself to breathe normally. John—and the rest of the room—were regarding me with open speculation. I forced a nervous laugh.

  “What has Mike gotten into now? He owes you money?” Mike never owed anyone money—that I knew of. But it sounded good. Normal, I thought. Or at least it would have if my left eye hadn’t been twitching. I told you I was a horrible liar. Secrets were just not my forte. But more than that, my last meeting with my brother still didn’t set right with me. I had a vague but nagging sense of unease after Mike had left that I had been pushing to the side for the last few months. Now that unease was steadily creeping back, full force.

  John didn’t laugh. He just shuffled some papers and cleared his throat.

  “He really owes you money?” I was surprised. I never figured Mike for a man who would be in debt—he didn’t live extravagantly. Didn’t gamble, or drink, or use drugs.

  “No, nothing like that.”

  Oh. “So, just spit it out, John. What’s this about?” I was getting annoyed and leery.

  “Do you know anything about the work your brother had been doing for us?”

  “No.” My senses were running on high alert now. Mike had been working for these people? No way. For that matter, why was I? I guess the answer to that question was simple enough. I was there first. And I didn’t exactly work for John. I worked in the basement in labs and pharmaceuticals. John and the rest of his Armani clad associates were in charge of the day-to-day operations at Lantech Corporation. The pay was decent, people generally left me alone, and I didn’t have to be chained to the place twenty-four hours a day. And like I said, I was there first. No way was I going to be run off by my sisters’ ex-husband, no matter how much I was beginning to rethink that decision.

  Actually, I had been mulling over a change of scenery for a while now. A career change might be nice. Maybe I could be a waitress, or a show girl...they still had showgirls, right?

  I shook my head and pressed my lips together while I eyed John in silence. The discomfort was ever present, and I wasn’t about to volunteer any information.

  He seemed momentarily deflated, but pressed on after a moment. “Your brother is an archaeologist.”

  “Yes.”

  “How to say this....” His fingers drummed lightly on the lacquered tabletop. He appeared to be deep in thought for a moment. “Seven months ago, Michael contacted me—he was looking for financial backing for a dig, of sorts.”

  “‘Dig of sorts’?” Now he had my full attention. “What do you mean, a ‘dig of sorts’?”

  “I’m getting to that. It’s—well, it’s a very interesting story, I assure you.”

  “I’m sure it is.” I said dryly. “But why would he come to Lantech for backing?” He hates you. “Why didn’t his organization fund the dig?” He really hates you. “Or the museum affiliates? Or any of the other number of foundations he could have approached for the funding?” Did I mention that he really hates you?

  “Your brother came to me several months ago with documents and literature that were…unique. He unearthed them in central Africa on an expedition several years ago.”

  I frowned. “Africa. That was five years ago. But why?”

  “He had his own reasons for holding onto the documents. Your brother is a business man at heart, Claire.”

  It took everything I had to refrain from giving Dear John a coffee bath. My brother was a businessman? He would have sooner tarred and feathered h
imself. But I didn’t bother telling John this. It wouldn’t have made a difference anyways, and I was starting to think that now was a great time to play the strong silent part.

  “The literature was a very interesting story indeed. There was a tale of an ancient civilization. The documents made up a series of clues—a map, if you will—to a location in Africa. The potential monetary value of the expedition was significant.”

  I scowled now. “You mean to tell me that my brother would have...would have...scalped the findings to the highest bidder to make a quick buck? Are you kidding me? You, I would believe that of, but Mike?” I picked up my bag. “I’m done. Do you understand me? I don’t know why you’re telling me this, but I can’t help you find Mike and I don’t want to hear anymore. Have a nice day, John, and you better pray that I don’t turn you in for something like this.” With that, I turned to go.

  “Now, Claire, you wouldn’t want your brother implicated in something so…unethical. Not with your brother’s whereabouts and safety in question at the moment.”

  That stopped me. He knew it would, damn him.

  “Where are the documents? And where is my brother? If you did anything to him, I will make you sorrier than you already are, you worm.”

  He flushed bright red now, his temper having sustained all the blows it would from me, I supposed. Well, too bad, I thought. I was nowhere near done if anything had happened to Mike.

  “The documents are gone, and so is your brother. I agreed to fund the expedition, as I’ve said already. We did some checking. He never made it to Zaire. He hasn’t contacted us since. But he left some clues behind.”

  John held out a box for me to take. I hesitated a moment before I reluctantly took a step away from the door and took the package from his outstretched hand.

  The box was full of notebooks. I sat down, then, and carefully picked up a book, thumbing through the worn pages. It was full, bordering on overfull, of Mike's less than neat handwriting. This was odd in itself. Mike actually had very good penmanship. I kept that to myself as I dug through the box, locating several folders and rough sketches before I dropped the items back into the box. I looked up and waited.